Technical Tip of the Week: Top Tips for using the AXYZ Vision System (AVS)

The AXYZ Vision System is used to align a machine program with the position of material on the machine bed. It is most useful when cutting pre-printed materials so that the program is positioned correctly relative to the printed copy. When used correctly it will ensure perfect alignment of the program which eliminates waste material and time-consuming setting up using other manual methods.

The system is quite intuitive and usually extremely reliable but there are some things which you can do to optimise the accuracy and performance of the system. Here are our top tips for the AVS:

When printing the registration marks make sure you use the AXYZ recommended styles. There are three different designs which should be used. The AVS automatically searches for the marks in a predefined order so having the correct designs in the right locations will reduce the chance of error and will alert you if the system finds an unexpected registration mark.

Always try to place the registration marks in the same location on the printed material. This will help the operator to orient the material correctly on the machine. If the marks are always close to where the AVS expects them to be the search process will be very fast. If they are not then some manual jogging of the machine may be required which slows down the operation considerably.

Avoid having strongly contrasting light over the machine. For example, if the machine is near a window with sun shining on the printed material can confuse the camera and cause it miss the registration marks. Although the camera can compensate for different lighting conditions sometimes a mark may be missed before the compensation activates. Try to keep the light over the machine as even as possible for highest reliability at all times.

The AVS allows test cuts to be performed. The machine will trace the camera around the contours so you can check the program looks right before actually cutting. It is always a good idea to use this on new jobs – it is very quick and can save a lot of time and money.